Building a road is also an opportunity to build a training and skills legacy.
In Western Sydney, The Northern Road is being upgraded to cater for future residential and commercial growth, and to support the new Western Sydney International Airport. The upgrade has improved safety for all road users, and to minimise impacts on the community, the upgrade has been delivered in stages.
The NSW Government selected CPB Contractors to deliver stages 5 and 6.
Working in collaboration with Transport for NSW, CPB Contractors established a training hub to support the Infrastructure Skills Legacy Program. The training hub connected jobseekers with training, upskilling and job opportunities, and provided both accredited and non-accredited training for all workers on the project.
Jason Pearson, CPB Contractors General Manager – Civil & Rail NSW/ACT, said: “NSW is seeing unprecedented levels of construction activity and so it is important that businesses keep investing in our skills capability.
“I’m proud of the skills legacy our commitment to practical, real-world training on The Northern Road has created. The skills acquired benefit those individuals, but also strengthen our ability to deliver complex major projects for our clients.”
Strongly positive outcomes were achieved through the creation of jobs and employment opportunities:
- 2,246 workers were inducted on the project
- 31 females were engaged with 75 in non-traditional trades
- 329 young workers under 25 years were engaged
- 161 previously long-term unemployed workers were engaged
- 51 apprentices and 15 trainees were engaged, including four experienced CPB workers upskilling to a trade qualification
- 18 workers with a disability were engaged
- 58 Aboriginal workers were engaged
- 62% of the projects’ workforce lived locally.